Mesa Fairbanks

Time flies faster than I can keep up with the blog!

2010-10-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Since the last time we blogged Eva turned 1! She is a sweetheart and amazes us everyday. She says about 10 words that we can understand and has a very strong personality. She will let no one forget that she is in the room. Here are some pictures from her 1st year photo shoot. Anyone on facebook has already seen them but this blog is our family journal (yes, I know that I need to write more to consider this our journal) so here they are again.

These cake pictures are my favorite. I have a niece that is 1 month older than Eva. We went to her 1st birthday party and she just sat there and looked at her cake. My brother gave her a little bite and she still just sat there and looked at it. So I was curious as to what Eva would do. The photographer put the cake down first and then I started to put Eva down. She dove into the cake before I had even finished setting her down. As you can see here, she was not shy. She is definately my chocaholic girl!

Miss Eva Grace at 6 months old- Better Late Than Never

2010-08-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Eva when she was 6 months old. We thought we better post these before she turns 1 next month!!!

Our last 12 days of fun!

2010-08-16T01:12:00.000-07:00

12 days ago we finally got out of the hot AZ heat for vacation (and none too soon since school started one week later). It was 7 days of crazy fun and long car rides.

Eva looked like this for about 6 of the 28 hours on the road.

First it was off to Great Grandma Rissers for 3 days. I could stay up all night talking to Grandma and not even realize how much time is passing by. We had so much fun. One night was spent up at Aunt Syd's eating pizza on the beach and chatting in her home till we realized that we still had an hour drive back to Grandma's! Thanks for the yummy pizza Aunt Syd! We were also able to visit Uncle Gordan and Uncle Jeff and family in their homes. It was really nice to see everyone.

Bubble fun at Grandma Great's

Stopped here on the way to Petaluma

Then it was off to Petaluma (San Francisco area) to my family reunion. My Uncle Bob and Aunt Marilyn run a Christmas tree farm as do my cousins Carole and Chris. This was my favorite place to visit as a child and it was so nice to share this with my children. They had a blast running through the trees and playing hide and seek. My cousins have a bunch of different animals that the kids loved. It was quite a feat keeping Aaron and Hannah out of their pens! We had so much fun that we hardly got any pictures! After 3 days there it was back in the car.

We drove back to Grandma's and stayed one more night. I am so glad we did. Aunt Syd drove down and we had a fun sushi dinner out with her. No kids running around made for really nice, uninterupted conversation. It was a treat to get to know more about Aunt Syd! After dinner we got to see Uncle Gordan and Uncle Jeff again due to our famous trail of breadcrumbs that we seem to leave wherever we go. In the morning it was so hard to leave but the kids were already missing the first day of school. It was time.

Thursday morning Sariah, Aaron and Hannah went back to school. Ahhhhhhh.....a quiet home. It is amazing how calm Paul is when everyone else is gone. Not even Eva bothered him! Of course there was no time to rest. Hannah's baptism was in 2 days and I still hadn't begun preparations. So that night we were off to find her new white dress. She is such a fun little bug. The lady that was helping us couldn't believe that Hannah was eight. She kept bringing me these huge dresses that Hannah could swim in and commenting every 5 minutes that she couldn't believe that Hannah was 8. She actually asked me at one point if I was sure she was 8! pretty sure I remember the day I gave birth to my own daughter!!! We left the store with her teeny size 4 dress and a beaming little Hannah.

Saturday morning Hannah was baptised. What a day. She looked beautiful but more importantly she felt the spirit and made the choice to get baptised. How proud I am of her. As hard as this child is for us she is kind, thoughtful, shows no guile, doesn't hold a grudge, is so loving and fun. We are blessed to have her sweet spirit in our family.

2010-05-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we rented the tools and removed all of the white tile from the house. What a job. I can't believe the pain in my forearms from the machine. It took pain pills to sleep last night but the tile is gone! Hooray!!!

The dust mess is incredible but well worth the mess. Friday and Saturday we remove all of the kitchen cabinets! The floors will be stained and polished starting Tuesday and all new cabinets installed the Saturday after that. The eye sore of our home will become a memory....aahhh. In the mean time lots of cold sandwiches, cereal and take out!

2010-04-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Our Eva turned 7 months yesterday! Time is flying by quickly and we are all having so much fun with her. It would be nice to keep her small a little longer. She has been rolling around and scooting for some time now but today she decided it was time to crawl. That is the end of clearing a space for her and her toys upstairs until we have gates put in.

Sariah is enjoying choir and has a solo coming up in the spring concert. Her voice has been getting better and better. Her teachers love it when she sings songs from Phantom of the Opera for them. Sariah has been counting down the end of the school year and is really excited to start swim again.

Paul has taken up basketball and is quite good at it. If we can only teach him the importance of dribbling instead of just shooting baskets. He is still creating artwork and his new passion is creating maps and cities . They look like something you would find on google maps but he creates cities with only the places he wants there.

Aaron is having so much fun with his new habilitator. She paints his face int0 whatever animal he wants to be that day and makes costumes and artwork to go along with it. He is also writing his own little animal stories and has been much easier to get along with. He of course wont leave the baby alone. She has really facilitated him with his communication. Who would have thought!

Hannah is having fun helping me with the garden. Her "chore" is to water the garden each day when she gets home from school. She runs right out there before taking her backpack off. She is so eager to pick the fruits and vegis that I have to remind her constantly to wait until they are ready. She is also excited to start swim again.

The hot Summer is quickly approaching. Time to get creative since neither the kids or I are willing to go outside in the heat unless we are in a pool. It is going to be a long summer!

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a fun St. Patrick's Day. Every year we make the full traditional corned beef and cabbage meal and end it with a rich chocolate cake. This year we had a cute little shoe eating leprechaun join us. Family (well the guys in the family) have made fun of her little green dress saying she looked ready for St. Patty's Day since Christmas so I thought it only fitting that she wear it.

School is out for Spring Break. I had so many fun things planned for this week but woke up Sunday with the flu. It unfortunately put a damper on what we were able to do, which is not much. I can't tell you how bad I feel for the kiddos. Luckily I have had them home to help with the baby so I can rest. She loves her big sisters and brothers and they love to make her laugh. Hope that all is well with everyone. Love to all from the Fairbanks!

2010-02-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of our trip to the Phoenix museum. It was Paul's request for his birthday. There were a few exhibits that really caught our attention. The dark picture is an exhibit that exisits in only two other locations in the world. It is a dark room wrapped in mirrors, with polished granite floors, and light LEDs hanging from strands. The experience is unique! It feels like looking into the universe while being immediately surrounded by it. It makes you feel tremendously large and very small at the same moment. I love my son. His thirst for experiences and expression is inspiring. I can honestly say it is one of our shared qualities! Through the fog of autism, it is one of those tender moments of clarity. Love to all- Nathan

Late Merry Christmas to our Family and Friends

2009-12-30T21:56:00.001-08:00

What a year this has been! We didn't even get our Christmas cards out to family and friends due to our biggest little gift this year.

Don't let her cute little smile deceive you! She is a very intense little one who knows just what to do for attention. She is awake most of the day but sleeps through the night which we are all grateful for. She has been an adjustment for all of us but so much fun as well. We are all completely in love with her.

This Christmas season was a bit of a challenge to accomplish everything but we made it through-minus the Christmas cards. What fun it was! All of the yummy food, baking for friends, receiving goodies from friends, caroling, Christmas hymns at church and shopping for our little ones made it a wonderful season.

Christmas day the gifts were open and then we were on the road by noon for Grandma and Grandpa's house. Pack in Seaworld, Pine Valley and half of us getting sick all in 4 days...whoa! It was wonderful to see who we did but we were ready to be home in our own comfy beds at the end of it all. Next year will be even crazier I am sure with all of the Fairbanks family in El Centro. The four new little ones meeting for the first time, running and crawling all over the place. Can't wait to see everyone all together again!

Nathan and I wish a very Happy New Year in 2010 to all.

2009-12-02T00:44:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pics from our trip to NY.

We got there just in time for the Yankee World Series celebration! It was awesome! Look at all those reciepts...

In Times Square

Battery Park

Hells Kitchen

On the Empire State Building

We had a blast in NY. Saw everything we wanted to see. Ate what we wanted to eat (plus a little more) did some shopping and then caught Phantom at the Majestic. And that was just one of the 6 days! Went to Vermont and all over upstate NY. Thanks to Grandma Fairbanks for staying with our 4 kiddos so that Nathan and I could celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. What a blast! Next time we go without a baby!!!

2009-10-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

She is home!

2009-09-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

Eva Grace is here!

Friday, September 25th ~ 8:07 am ~ 6lbs 8ozs

She is so beautiful but has had some issues with her lungs so is still in the hospital. Hopefully she will be home on Wednesday. Pictures to come a little later.

Eva's New Birthday

2009-09-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well, there has been a change in plans. The amnio results said that Eva's lungs were borderline for full development. So the new date is now Friday September 25th. It is not fun feeling like you are going to deliver in 2 days and then you are told that you have to wait another week. At least Eva will be safe and hopefully there will be no problems with tearing.

Eva's Real Countdown

2009-09-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

Eva is scheduled for Friday September 18th at 7:30am.

We have this woman in our ward that is such a talented photographer. I would never have done belly shots before but after seeing hers I had to try. Who would have thought! This is my belly at 32 weeks.

More Catch Up

2009-09-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun this week. Spent Friday morning in the hospital. Eva is anxious to get here but hopefully we will be able to keep her in for another week!

Here are some more pictures that have been stuck on the camera. These are all from Easter this last year.

More summer fun! Grandpa and grandkids at the Riparian Preserve, Sariah climbing trees, Hannah and Daddy at our family reunion.

2009-08-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

So Nathan was finally able to get the computer and camera to cooperate. Hooray! Here are a few pictures from our summer vacations. The first few are from the beach on Coronado Island.

Sea World in the polar bear den...

The only camping trip we were able to ake this year...

Just a couple shots of this very long summer!

Doctor's Update

2009-08-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

I got the news from the doctor yesterday that they are going to deliver me before the 19th of September. I can't believe how quickly this is going by! They will start doing weekly ultrasounds and scans of the wall of my uterus to make sure that everyone is safe. Unfortunately they are going to have to do an amnio. before hand to make sure that her lungs are developed before delivering. Yes, it is a good thing but there are always risks.

I can't believe that she will be here in about 39 days! So much to do and I am running out of time!

Summer Fun

2009-07-01T21:53:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a while but I have a hard time posting without pics and my camera and computer aren't getting along. Everything here is been pretty busy. With school out it feels like a circus everyday. The kids are all having fun despite the heat. They are all in swimming lessons and doing well. Sariah is finally ready for swim team so we will be registering her this school year after the baby is born.

We took a mini vacation last week to visit family in California. It was nice to see everyone and really nice to get out of Mesa heat for a couple of days. Of course El Centro was just as bad as here but San Diego was beautiful. We spent one day at Sea World which was a blast. It is one of the kids (and my) favorite places to go. Shamu soaked all of the kids to the bone. It was great!

We are heading out again this weekend to spend time with Carlie and Joey before they move. We are really sad to see them go but it will be great for them to have the opportunity to spend time with Joey's parents and Paul's family. This will be the last bit of travel I will be able to do before the baby comes. The doctor doesn't want me traveling in my last trimester so I will not be telling him that I have been traveling for two consecutive weeks :) After this I promised Nathan that we will stick to the rules.

Eva Grace is so far doing well. She moves around a lot and my stomach often looks like aliens are rolling around inside my belly. It is a lot of fun to watch. The kids love to talk and sing to my belly. Aaron can't go anywhere without saying goodbye to her. He is so excited.

If I can get my camera and computer to make up soon I will get some pictures posted. All of us send our love and hope that everyone is doing well.

It's a......

2009-05-21T23:13:00.000-07:00

Girl!

What a surprise for us. We felt like it was a boy and had been calling him Matthew for months. Surprise! We are excited and it is starting to feel a lot more real. Nathan and I made a deal that if it was a girl he could name her and if it was a boy I could name him. Nathan picked out a beautiful name- Eva Grace.

Now I just have to get through this 100 degree plus summer with this big belly!

Busted

2009-04-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Okay so we have been pretty secretive up to now but I can't exactly hide it anymore so yes, we are expecting baby #5. If you think that you are shocked imagine how we felt when we found out! We still laugh when people say congratulations but eventually we will adjust and say thank you when the congrats come. At least the tears have stopped!

Birthday Excitement

2009-03-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

So every couple days Hannah asks "how many more sleeps till my birthday?" Sleeps is how my kids understand days passing. She has about 120 sleeps left and each time we tell her she groans and says "but that is not fair!"

So we got into a discussion of what she wants to do this year and after last years bash at Grandma and Grandpa's house she can't think of anything better to do. We pulled out pictures and began reminiscing all the fun we had.

Last year we asked her what kind of birthday she wanted and she replied "I want a Tinkerbell pirate hula la(her word for luau)". Nathan and I couldn't believe the thought she had put into the whole thing and then Nathan couldn't help but mention who she gets it from! Thanks, babe.

It just so happened that Joshua's birthday was the same week and he was really into pirates at the time so we had a Luau in Neverland. It was a lot of fun. Even the adults dressed up and we all had a blast.

Stephen and Toni's neighbor have this great pool that has rocks all around it and is shaped like a cove. So the kids got to swim in a cove just off of Neverland while diving for treasure.

Who knows, we may end up in El Centro for another adventure. Guess we will see what the kids imaginations can dig up this year...

Here Goes

2009-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Most of the family has a blog started so it must be time for us to get on board. It will probably not be as active as all of you but we will try to update as much as possible. Here goes....

Nathan is still working up in Phoenix as a commercial property manager and accountant. He likes his job and is good at what he does. He still sings beautifully and charms his kids with made up songs to get them motivated each day. We all enjoy rock band but Nathan is the skilled one of our bunch. It is fun rocking out to the wee hours of the morning together. Suzanne is still in school. 11 classes to go! Life has been interesting this year but we are rolling with the punches and hope that all will be well.

Sariah is our oldest daughter. She turned 10 in January and is growing up so fast. She loves horses, horse movies, collects horse cards, and anything else to do with horses. Sariah has her Dad's natural talent of voice. She is fun to listen to and sings in church a couple times a year and also in her school choir. She is our sweet and tender child that loves to help everyone.

Paul Riley is our next and turned 9 in December. He is our math whiz. Loves numbers and science. He amazes us everyday with all that he knows. He far surpassed his Mom's math skills this year and is catching up to Dad. Paul also enjoys art. He loves to work with color and shapes. We would not be surprised to see Paul's artwork in stores someday. Paul is a very gentle and tender soul.

Our sweet Aaron is 8 years old. He absolutely loves animals. The zoo is his favorite place and he could spend all day in front of the elephants. He surprised his Grandpa two years ago when on the bus tour of the San Diego Zoo he named all of the animals (basic and totally obscure) before the driver even had a chance. He loves to google animals on the computer and loves watching planet earth and animal planet. He is our cuddler. Always ready for a hug and kiss and loves to flash is handsome smile to get out of trouble.

Our Hannah Banana Bear is 6 and is definitely the daredevil of our family. She loves to climb and jump, run, swing and slide. Even while she likes all of the outdoor stuff she is also a little girl. She loves everything Tinkerbell and loves to dress up and model for us. Hannah is a smart little cookie and knows how to get out of about anything. She loves to make people laugh and has a spirit all her own.